How much do you think we'd have to offer the President?

My son, Ben, is 9 years old. He's always been a good reader but, unlike his sister, won't read "chapter books", i.e. long books with actual chapters. When Rachel was Ben's age, she was already reading novels on her own and I read most of "The Lord of the Rings" and the first four Harry Potter books aloud to her. But Ben has steadfastly refused to read long books and won't let me read them to him.

So, earlier this week, I decided to try a new tactic: bribery. I picked out three books of varying lengths and told him I'd pay cash money if he finished them. That's right, I'm paying the little bugger to read. The payout would be according to the length of the book. The menu was as follows:

• A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning (approx 150 pages) $10
• Rusty's Space Ship (approx 250 pages) $15
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (approx 350 pages) $20

Ben loves both films, A Series of Unfortunate Events and Harry Potter, so I figured he'd have an easier time with those. Rusty's Space Ship is one of my favorites from when I was his age.

To my surprise and despite the negative reaction he gave me, the day after I made the offer, Ben started reading The Bad Beginning. I suspect that he picked it because it was the shortest, but I'm not sure. While he says he doesn't understand the story, he's up to chapter ten and reading every night before bed. He'll probably finish tonight.

I'm hoping that once he finishes, he'll continue with the other two books. Of course, once he has embraced the joy of reading, I'll have to teach him the harsh, real-life lesson involving writing. That is, if someone offers to pay you to do something, you should always get it in writing.